Join the musical journey

Alex Paquin showcases his unique one-man-band style on his new album Dear Parasite.

A Fernie-based musician will be performing on his own for the first time after releasing his own album earlier this month.

“People can really expect to hear a musical journey through a variety of genres,” said Alex Paquin, who also owns Peak Orthotics.

“People are really going to have to open their minds because no song is the same. There is no single style. Some songs are more funk, some are more rock and some are more classical.”

Even though Paquin has been playing music since he was about eight years old, music took a back seat when he became involved in competitive skiing.

“I kinda stepped back because skiing was a huge focus. I never stopped but there was a long plateau, and about six or seven years ago I picked up a bass. And around the same time I was in Australia and I picked up a Didgeridoo,” said Paquin.

He really became inspired in the last year after watching a couple of YouTube videos.

“It was really cool slap guitar style and backwards playing and using the guitar more as a drum,” said Paquin. “There was this one song and it took me at least a month to learn. Usually I can pick up a song in five minutes, it was that challenging and I was committed to it. That song made me break through a 15 year plateau.”

It was the combination of the slap guitar style and Xavier Rudd-style of music that propelled Paquin to start writing and recording.

“There was too much material, so I took the winter to record it,” he said.

Paquin’s first album Dear Parasite was released on May 8.

“I had about four or five songs that were pretty much done, but recording them gave me inspiration for more. It was just kind of feeding my appetite,” he said.

Paquin has transformed his living room in to a rehearsal space for his one-man band set up.

The release party for Dear Parasite will be at The Central Bar in Fernie on June 18.

Dear Parasite is available for free through Paquin’s website www.alexlive2play.com

For the live performance, Paquin will be using live loops to give the feel of a full band.

Paquin moved to Fernie seven years ago after living in Whistler for eight years.